With another semester coming to an end I find myself reflecting on the things I wish I would have done differently. Luckily I am not graduating yet so there is still time to make changes. By no means am I an expert, but I want to offer a few recommendations for making the most out of college.
Schedule Early Classes. A great thing about course scheduling is that you can make your schedule whatever you want it to be. Most students choose to make their school days begin around noon, or 1pm, so that they can sleep in, and until recently, I looked at it from that perspective too. This semester, the only availability for a class I needed was at 8 in the morning every single day, and to be honest, I couldn’t be happier with it. Sure, getting up that early is still really tough, but its benefits outweigh anything that a 1pm schedule could get me. Waking up early lets you not only get all your work out of the way, it also allows you to explore any interests that would normally just be too time consuming. So if you ever wanted to try kickboxing, rock climbing, or maybe even salsa dancing, do yourself a favor, and actually give yourself the time to do all of that. Which brings me to my next point.
Try out new clubs and hobbies. There are a ton of them out there. Whether they’re related to the outdoors, or volunteer services, or even just fashion clubs, they get you out of your room, and into a crowd of people with similar interests to your own. On top of that, they can help you forget about school stress for a while and can get you into those industries you always wanted to work for or learn about.
Stay Fit. This is a really general statement, I know. But doing anything physical will help in ways you wouldn’t even imagine. Staying fit doesn’t necessarily mean going for long runs every day, or even working out at the gym. Doing anything that keeps your body active works for me, whether it’s playing football, rugby, or going on hiking trips, just make yourself sweat every once in awhile. Not only will it help you live longer, and feel more confident about yourself, staying active also helps you relax and think more clearly.
Take at least one class a semester that interests you. This one’s pretty self-explanatory. As an engineering major, I know that classes that you need to take can get pretty monotonous. But it’s always nice to have a class, any class, even one that doesn’t count towards your credits, that just lets you relax and learn about something that always seemed interesting to you.
Don’t just follow the crowd. I know the college cliche is to overwork yourself on weekdays and party on weekends. I know a decent amount of students in my dorm that follow that as a law, but honestly, making that your entire life is really boring. College is what you make of it, not what people tell you about it. People will tell you that college is a time to try new things, and meet new people, but that does not necessarily mean work and party. Do it your way, not the way of others.
Stay in touch with campus life. I went to a puppy parade last weekend. A puppy parade. That in itself should make you jump on your university’s website to see what’s being held this week. About a week ago, male students had a “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event, in which men actually walked a mile in high heels. From random things like that to cool community service events, a whole lot goes on around campus, so go check it out, you never know what you might find.
Remember how quickly high school flew by? Well, with more responsibility and opportunities, you can bet that college will come and go even faster. You don’t want to be walking across the stage on graduation day wishing you could do things differently. What advice would you give yourself as a freshman?
Many students choose to go away to college once they graduate high school, while others decide to stay at home and commute. I happen to be one of those commuter students (hence the name “Commuter Crystal”), and I have found many perks to this decision.
Going away for college usually means higher expenses, and I’m not talking about minor living expenses like food and gas. I’m talking about tuition and housing. Take the University of Pittsburgh, for example. If you’re going to the main campus and are an in-state resident, you’re paying anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 extra to attend compared to a branch campus, and that all depends on your major. For housing, it can be anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 to be housed on the main campus compared to housing on a branch campus closer to your home. Should you be an out-of-state resident, you could be faced with an additional $20,000 a year. Commuting from home can allow you to pay a minimal amount of rent to your parents or do chores in lieu of rent. Staying close to home isn’t looking so bad, is it? 
After tuition and housing, you have to think about other costs associated with college. Meal plans are expensive, and buying your own food to live in an apartment off campus can rack up a hefty total too! If you live at home, you can buy food and make it yourself, but chances are your folks or a sibling will cook for you. You won’t have to stick to Ramen noodles every night, or cook things in bulk and freeze it for later. As for gas, everyone knows how the economy is today. Living away from home means driving back home for holidays among other things. While this could be great for your highway gas mileage, it racks up a big bill. If you stay at home, you may only have to drive to campus and back to your home.
While there are many benefits to living at home, there are also numerous drawbacks. For starters, you’re living with your parents or other family members. You’re not part of the dorm life, or out on your own and truly independent like you might want to be. Also, you have to travel in bad weather to and from campus. I live in a place where it seems like there’s no fall or spring, just summer and winter. Traveling to campus in the winter is a treacherous drive, and extremely dangerous. In addition, you have to worry about parking on campus. At my university, resident students are allowed to park in commuter lots. If you don’t leave early enough, you can’t find a spot near the buildings. While it saves money, living at home presents other hassles.
Living at home isn’t for everyone, but it is an option that is often overlooked. While you may have to make a few aggravating drives and sacrifice some privacy, you will save tons of money tuition-wise, housing-wise, and living expense-wise. My point isn’t to convince you that being a commuter student is the best option, because quite frankly it may not be for your circumstance. I would just encourage students to weigh all the options before making the decision to move away for school.
What are your thoughts? Are there any major perks or drawbacks that I missed?
Entering housing as an individual is a tough thing to do. It builds anxiety as you wait to see who you will be paired up with. Will you have one roommate, or will you have 2 roommates? Will you have to share rooms, will you have bunk beds? Will you have to share a shower with the whole floor, or just with your roommates? These are the things incoming students, or even transfer students think about as they get ready for a semester at their new school. For some schools, you are given your assignment early in the summer along with who your roommates will be as well. I know for returning students in my college, housing assignments along with who you are paired up with are not given out until the middle of August. This brings major anxiety to individual students. It just simply does not give much time for roommates to communicate on what is needed for the dorm, who will bring what accessories, and not enough time to even get to know each other.
I heard a statistic once that 75 percent of first year roommates that were randomly paired up end up staying together. That truly is an amazing statistic to know that for the most part these schools are essentially doing the right thing when pairing roommates together. I know in my case as a transfer I was put together with two random roommates who had many similarities but they are not my roommates for the upcoming year. I did not have any problems living with them and that is a great thing.
Colleges pair people up by using surveys. In these surveys they ask questions about all types of things including, sleep schedule, favorite music genre, interest in sports, if you smoke, activities, hobbies, etc. A few of these things can easily be used to pair people together and create an instant connection. So, certainly do not fill in information that you think is “cool”. Do not fill information that is incorrect because then you will be paired incorrectly.
All the built up anxiety going into your freshman year, or just simply as an individual will hopefully lead up to roommates that you will enjoy and won’t have a problem with. I sure know I had anxiety to find out who I would be rooming with. I knew I would immediately Facebook them, message them, and see who was bringing what. It’s an interesting thing the housing selection process and apparently it’s decently accurate. As I said before, I won’t be rooming with the roommates that I was randomly selected with for this most recent year and it certainly isn’t because we didn’t connect, I just found kids that I consider my best friends now and I couldn’t turn down rooming with them.
Don’t panic individuals! The statistics prove that MOST of you should be fine. Those of you that do not like your roommates, well, you must have bad luck. There is always next year. Good Luck!
As a college freshman, there are so many different things to plan for when preparing for the big move to your new college dorm room. When I was starting freshman year, I knew I wanted to bring a little bit of home with me, to remind me of all the things that got me where I was, as well as start off fresh and introduce a fun and energetic style to my new living space. Many college dorm rooms seem to be so bland, cold and drab…but they don’t have to be!
You may think that your college dorm room has no decorating potential but there are many savvy design and storage techniques to make your new place into a home away from home. It isn’t easy to look at your dorm and be able to envision all of its potential, but with a few tips and some creativity, you will be able to turn your space into a comfortable and cozy home.
DORM DO’S:
DO think of your dorm room as a home away from home. You want to feel comfortable coming back to your room after a long day of classes, and feel that your dorm is your safe haven. Bring items that are familiar to you from when you lived back at home such as pictures, stuffed animals or blankets—anything that brings comfort in order to make the transition easier.
DO collaborate with your roommate. If you and your new roommate are willing to coordinate a theme, the two of you can have a lot of fun with it! Themed rooms are a simple way to pull a small, bland room together, and getting your roommate involved will make the decorating process easier and more fun, and hopefully will help the two of you to get to know each other better. It can also be a big help to coordinate ahead of time the items you plan on bringing so you avoid bringing the same things.
DO be creative as possible when decorating your room…but be aware of building safety codes and regulations. Some universities have restrictions on what you can bring into your dorm room such as hot plates and candles, as well as restrictions on what you can hang from the ceilings. But other than that, be as creative as you want! Color-coordinated linens and curtains, decorative rugs, entertainment centers and consoles, books and posters are all an option, and just the starting point. There are many DIY projects online that can help you add some creative design to your walls if you want to go even further.
Fun tip—instead of taping a bunch of photos to the wall and cluttering your space, consider blowing one picture up to poster size to make a bigger statement.
DO consider bed risers if you want to maximize under-bed storage space. Seeing that the space is limited in most dorm rooms, you have to get creative in order to maximize your storage space. Simple things such as raising your bed will create space you never knew you had! Wait until you’re on campus to buy storage and organization bins so you can get a better idea about the space you’re working with.
DORM DON’TS:
DON’T over pack and bring so much that move-out will be a huge pain. Remember everything you bring into that dorm room is going to have to leave in only a years’ time, and you also accumulate things as the year passes. So be careful on all the stuff you decide to keep in your dorm room because eventually it will be your responsibility to move it out. A long move-out process is the last thing you’re going to want to do when you’re on your first summer break as a college student.
Don’t bring items that heat up, it’s best to leave them at home. Items such as lava lamps, candles, grills and toasters are most likely going to be forbidden in your building and frankly they are a big hazard that you don’t want to have to worry about.
Don’t panic about the things you forgot. If you forget anything you can always buy it at a local store in your college’s town. And don’t worry, there will be plenty of other college students in the same boat as you.
Have more DORM DO’S & DON’TS? Please share them with us in the space below!
The school year is approaching fast and preparation is in order. Lately I’ve been thinking about the things I need before fall rolls around. Now that I’ll be a sophomore I have a little experience under my belt. Here are the “must haves” for this fall.
The first thing you’ll want might seem odd in this hot weather. You’re going to want a good sweat outfit. It can get chilly in dorms and sweats are the perfect cozy option. Along with being cozy you should try and find a cute pair so that you can walk to food halls, laundry, and study hall cozy AND in style. My favorite sweats are from the Victoria’s Secret PINK collection. They have adorable campus pants, collegiate wear, and yoga pants. Most of the pants have a match back sweatshirt. This year Victoria’s Secret is more than ready for back to school with stylish backpacks, water bottles, planners, and even ID card holders!
Next, you’re going to need a cute pair of flat easy to walk in shoes. My favorite back to school shoes are TOMS. There are so many different styles of TOMS these days, so there is one for everyone. If you choose a basic color they can match everything. They are cushioned on the bottom making them extremely comfortable to walk around campus. Another cool thing that TOMS do is give back. Every time a pair is purchased another pair is sent free to Africa for a person in need of shoes, as if you needed more inspiration to buy a pair!
Another thing you’re going to need is decorations! It’s a lot of fun to decorate your room to fit your personal style. Most places won’t allow you to nail anything into your walls, but they make stick on wall art now that’s perfect for a dorm! I had one on my wall all year and when it was time to move out it peeled right off. Target is usually my first destination for any decorations I might want for back to school. They have the wall decals there along with pretty much anything else you’d want to make your dorm room beautiful. Target is also very affordable and available online for your convenience.
These are the three things that every girl must have before heading back to school. I hope I’ve helped you come up with some good ideas for things to buy before the fall. Have fun being comfortable and stylish in your fashionable dorm room. Take this opportunity to really showcase your style and be confident! Best of luck shopping!
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